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Althanas 4.0 FAQ

Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.

What is "bunnying"?

Bunnying, sometimes referred to as "god-modding," is the act of controlling another player's character in a thread. No one knows where the term "bunnying" came from, but don't let its cuteness distract from the seriousness of the issue. Bunnying is not allowed without the express permission of the character's owner. This means that you are not allowed to write out their actions or their thoughts before the character's owner has. Repeating what another characters has already done IS technically allowed (but by no means necessary for each of your posts).

Simple example of bunnying (bad):
"I pulled a book off of the shelf to reveal a secret passage. Gary jumped back, frightened of the sudden movement."

What you can do:
"I pulled a book off of the shelf to reveal a secret passage. I looked over at Gary to see what he might do."

What is "powergaming"?

Powergaming is writing that oversteps the limitations of your character. There are two main forms of powergaming:

1. Performing a skill that was either not approved in your character registration or that is much more powerful than what you were approved for. Examples include casting magic when you did not claim such an ability or summoning a fireball to destroy a city when you described yourself as only capable of only conjuring a small flame.

2. Saying that your attack hit another character without the owner of that character's permission. This is a form of bunnying. When you perform an attack, either slashing a sword or casting a spell, you can only attempt to hit your opponent. It is then up to your opponent to decide whether or not the attack lands.

While it is not prohibited to frequently dodge attacks, and is thus not considered powergaming if you do so, your score will suffer if you never allow your opponent to make a hit.

What does "((open))" and "((closed))" mean?

Sometimes, players will make threads with the intention of inviting anyone who would like to play. Other times, players will decide to play with only specific people in a given thread and will invite them directly.

In the former case, where everyone is welcome to play, a thread is considered "open" and will be marked as such. In the latter case, where only specific players are welcome, a thread is considered "closed."

What does "OOC" and "IC" mean?

OOC means any comments that are made "out-of-character." In other words, it is you the player that is speaking and not your character. The general discussion forums are OOC forums.

IC, short for "in-character," refers to anything that your character is saying or doing. All other forums including regions, features, and The Bazaar are considered IC.

If you would like to make an OOC comment in an IC thread, you can do so by encircling your comments in two parenthesis like this:

(( This was a good thread. Thank you! ))

Alternatively, you can also use the OOC button above the posting area. This will automatically put the [ooc] tags around your statement and make it appear in a special out-of-character box. You can also manually type the tag like this:

[ooc]This was a good thread. Thank you![/ooc]

What is a "Judge's Choice"?

A Judge's Choice (JC for short) is a roleplaying thread on Althanas that is considered to be the best of the best. Typically, it scores above an 80 on the scoring rubric, but it must be voted upon by a panel of moderators before it becomes a true Judge's Choice.

What if I have a question not answered here?

If there is something else you'd like to know, the Althanas staff is more than happy to answer any questions to may have. To ask your question, you may either make a post in the Your Word forum, or send a private message directly to a moderator in the forum related to your question. You may also PM an administrator with any question you may have.

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